Following Castrist “Model” : Chavez war against private sector in Venezuela, now against Empresas Polar.

CARACAS – A passion for locally brewed Polar beer was one of the few things that bound Venezuelans together in the politically fractious country — until now, says a report of Reuters.

Chavez follows Castros receipt in order to control total power in his hands.

A campaign by President Hugo Chavez against Empresas Polar, the Latin American nation’s largest food and drinks maker, is politicizing one of its favorite drinks.

Chavez accuses the conglomerate of billionaire Lorenzo Mendoza of being part of a group of private companies he says are trying to destabilize his socialist government by, among other things, keeping inflation artificially high.

“If you think I won’t dare to nationalize Empresas Polar, you are wrong,” Chavez said in a televised speech this week. “Get down from your cloud, Mendoza. Here in Venezuela there are no untouchables, no sacred cows.”

Chavez’s administration has nationalized a wide range of companies in the OPEC member nation. He has lashed out at Polar before, but now his verbal attacks have intensified.

Some analysts see a political motive behind the rhetoric against Polar, the country’s biggest private employer.

Chavez faces a crucial test of his support at legislative elections in September, and some experts say he is looking to shift the blame for the woes of an economy that contracted 5.8 percent in the first quarter of this year.